SEATTLE (AP) — Back in the locker room after a lopsided win in the opening game in league history, Las Vegas star Aja Wilson grabbed her phone and called out suspended coach Becky Hammon.
“I just wanted to make sure we were on the right track and she only yelled twice (on TV),” Wilson said. “This is a big deal for us, because I’m sure she’d scream more than twice in real life.”
There wasn’t much to complain about from the Aces’ standpoint after opening their defense of the WNBA Championship with a 105-64 defeat of the Seattle Storm on Saturday.
Jackie Young and Kelsey Bloom scored 23 points for the Aces in a game that witnessed many changes and absences from last season, when Las Vegas beat Seattle in four games in the NBA semi-finals.
Most notably, it was Las Vegas without Hammon following suspended for two matches by the league earlier this week after an investigation into former Aces player Derekah Hamby for saying she was bullied and manipulated for being pregnant.
hamon That Hampy denied She is bullied because she is pregnant, saying that any bad feelings between them came from Hampy’s exchange.
“Obviously it’s hard not having her. But at the same time, I think we were totally prepared,” Wilson said. “Our coaches were making sure we were ready for this moment.”
But the Aces never miss a win without their coach on the sidelines. Acting head coach Tyler Marsh had to decide which combinations from his star-studded roster to go with, all under the watchful eye of owner Mark Davis and approved from his starting bench.
Six players finished as aces in double figures. Wilson scored 13 points and 13 rebounds, Chelsea Gray scored 14 points and Alicia Clark added 10 points off the bench.
The Marsh family made a last-minute decision to travel to Seattle to play his first two games as coach of the Aces.
“I’m a coach kid. I grew up coaching,” Marsh said. “So my dad, he’s been a college coach my whole life and for him to be here just to see me coach, and for my wife and son to be out there, that’s the emotional part for me.”
Then there was two-time MVP Candace Parker. In her debut with the Aces, Parker added 12 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Hamby’s trade with the Los Angeles Sparks was that clear salary space for the Aces to add Parker and create a roster with New York the favorites to win the league title, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.
Jewell Lloyd led Seattle with 22 points as the Storm began what is expected to be a rebuilding season in the franchise’s next chapter. For the first time since 2002, Sue Bird was no longer part of Seattle’s starting season roster after retiring at the end of last season, though she was. Sitting on the field for Saturday’s match.
Seattle also lost league MVP Breanna Stewart twice after she left for New York during free agency and starting winger Gabe Williams was still in Europe, though the Storm are hoping that a restricted free agent can join the Storm soon.
That left Lloyd as the only starting piece from last season still on the field as a contributor. She struggled hard early on, missing her first eight shots and struggling to get a clean appearance anytime Plum had a defensive assignment. Loyd finished 7 of 25 shooting.
No other Seattle player scored more than eight points than rookie star Jordan Hurston.
“It’s going to be a fun year every single day,” said Seattle coach Noelle Quinn. “It’s been battle-tested early on. … It’s going to be a work in progress for some teams and some teams are really well oiled at the moment. That was just a tough challenge for this particular group.”
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